Dubai Tourist Traps

 
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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Taxi drivers and detours

by georeiser

90% of the taxi drivers are foreign workers from Pakistan. They are in most cases reliable and honest. But it's wise to know where you are driving and take notice of the route. I had a Taxi sightseeing where the driver drove a detour on the freeway. I don't think he did it on purpose, and it was not a big problem since the taxi prices are cheap in Dubai. My mobile phone with GPS showed that we were driving in the opposite direction of where I should go.(For those who are interested in gadgets: Garmin XT GPS program with middle east map on a Samsung Omnia HD mobil phone). Have a GPS to show the direction you shall go.

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This is not the developed place its made out to be

by qwerty1234567890

In fact it is still very primitive, even brutal at its core. Please avoid this destination and spend your money, your time, and your energies on a better place that won't slowly suck the life force out of you without you realizing it.

Electronic shops beside gold souk

by highseas

Beware of imitation goods though it may look genuine with a reliable make on it. I was looking for a Sony portable DVD and I saw one in a shop managed by Indians. i asked if it was genuine and he said it was. Upon inspecting, the Sony name was badly printed and the labels peeling off. So becareful.... Prices just the same or maybe slightly higher but at least you have peace of mind. Buy at Plug Ins, radio Shack or at some of the electronic shops in Emirates mall.

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Extra Costs for Taxis, At least AED 4

by anees

Dubai has introduced a road toll system. Toll gates have already been installed by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) near Al Garhoud Bridge on Shaikh Rashid Road and the Fourth Interchange near Mall of the Emirates on Shaikh Zayed Road. As visitor, you will notice that Taxi drivers are adding AED 4 to your travel price each way as they have to pay that amount to the government. Some of them already started using alternative ways, to avoid this extra costs, but they surely will spend more time to reach the destinations. Reports here say that raffic on Shaikh Zayed Road is due to be reduced by 25% after introduction of the toll. Currently, around 130,000 vehicles use Shaikh Zayed Road every day, and about 8,000 vehicles per hour cross Al Garhoud Bridge during peak hours in both directions. Dubai toll free system sat to resolve the trafic jam in main roads, but it adds costs to...

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Don't do the Desert Safari Tour

by dln6874

The standard 'thing to do' in Dubai seems to be a Desert Safari tour which takes you dune-bashing in the dessert, sandboarding, camel-riding, and to a dinner/belly-dance show. The dune bashing itself was okay, but the other activities were lame. The sandboarding is down a tiny slope, not big enough to do any turns, and you get to go down only once (unless you queue up again after the long line). After having the done the real thing in Namibia, this was just pathetic. I can't even call it sandboarding. As for the camel ride, there is only a few camels so you are again queueing for it. The dinner was okay, but nothing special. Same with belly-dancer. If you're a seasoned traveller, this tour will be cheesy as hell. Btw, most of the camels we saw were fenced in as if they are on display for tourists. I think they are more interesting if seen in the wild - and there are some. This was...

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Don't do the Big Bus Tour

by dln6874

At 150AED (~US$40), this is the most expensive hop-on-hop-off tour bus I've ever been on. There's actually not a whole lot to see in Dubai, so most of the stops will be either a mall or a resort. The views you get are mostly of construction and skyscrapers. Sure, you get an overall view of the city, but there isn't much to see. Also, with the large ground to cover (a whole loop takes about 5 hrs) and the limited hours the bus operates (roughly 9-5 or 6), you can't really spend sufficient time at each spot. http://bigbus.co.uk/dub/html/dub_our_tours.html If you must go, catch the very first bus nearest to you so you can maximize the time spent on it. Also, select just a few spots to stay 30 min or hour until the next bus arrives (they operate every 30 min.). They do give you a few minutes on Jumeriah beach to get a good photo of the Burj so don't worry about that. You need to be on a...

Souks

by maharaja_joe

I walked through some of the Souks in Bur Dubai and Deira, and the prices are definitely higher that what you would get in other places. A smoking pipe that costs 10 dirhams in Dubai costs 5 dirhams outside Dubai. For some reason, t-shirts are sold for very cheap in the souks. Also, the shop keepers expect you to bargain, so don't hold back. They know that you can buy stuff from other places too, so they are willing to bargain too. There are tons of gift/craft shops on the road while driving through the desert outside Dubai. If you plan on being in Dubai itself, then Souks are the best way to go for inexpensive trinkets. Else, shop outside.

The best nightlife city!!!! BUT

by scaffas

Do not think that alcohol is readily available at stores. What beer you get in the stores are non alcoholic beers. They have licensed stores for selling booze and you need to have a permit .... Just enjoy the non-alcoholic beer and relax your in the middle east lol!!!!

Modern and cosmopolitan city but..

by erikute3534

still very muslim city, can not really relax completely and go out with shorts or dressed summery when the country is really hot! forget beer or wine in restaurants that are not in the hotel, start taking juice and water :)) Alcohol served only in restaurants that are in hotels (and not in all too!) No kising or hugging your loved ones (adults mean) in the streets etc.. well.. we have to respect their rules, no? BEHAVE :)

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UAE Heritage

by Escadora7

Let's face it: UAE heritage isn't really that extensive. First you had pearl fishers and bedouins - now you have luxury and riches seemingly without limits. There weren't really any dynasties and epochs inbetween. We were somewhat disappointed by seeing the same heritage exhibits over and over again: Dubai museum, Heritage Village, Diving Village, Sheikh Maktoum house, special mall exhibits, etc. If we had to chose one of the heritage sites, it would be the Dubai museum - it's the most extensive and has the nicest exhibits. Plus it's airconditioned....Hint: summer is not the best time to visit the diving and heritage village - at least not during daytime; most of the exhibits are outside and it it simply too hot. Many of the stores are closed during the daytime for lack of visitors. The shops reopen during the evening hours when it cools down. Both places however have a great variety of...

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  Hi Does anyone know if there is always long queues to get tickets to go to the Observastion Deck of the Burj Khalifa and also... 

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A: No, there are not "always" lines. Actually there are rarely "lines" as the majority of people book online. However, tickets can often (and do often) sell out days in... 

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